By Thea Jarvis

The Catholic presence in rural Georgia has been expanded to include a staff person ministering to the Hispanic community at The Place in Cumming.

Yvette Monroy, who joined Rural Social Services last December, is the Hispanic Outreach worker in charge of identifying and meeting the needs of an ever-growing population of Latinos in the Cumming area.

Cumming, which has evolved over the years into a bedroom community of metro Atlanta, has seen an influx of Mexican immigrants eager to work on local poultry farms and in the processing plants that are a major component of northeast Georgia's economy.

"My job is to reach the Latin community, which has so many needs," said Ms. Monroy, a native of Colombia, South America who earned a master's degree in human resource development from Georgia State University after coming to the U.S. nine years ago.

"They need a lot of assistance as far as knowing the system," the ins and outs of daily living, she explained. Many of the immigrants, who have been moving into the Cumming area over the past year and a half, "help their families in Mexico and don't always take care of their own needs."

Most families and individuals she works with come from backgrounds in which education, financial security and material necessities have been elusive or non-existent, Ms. Monroy said. They come to the U.S. seeking greater economic opportunity and encounter difficulty because of cultural and linguistic barriers.

Sister Kathryn Cliatt, OP, whose community of Adrian Dominicans has funded staffing for Hispanic outreach with a Subsidy for Ministry grant, said she realized the need for such a service when the clothing and furniture store at The Place began serving a larger Hispanic clientele.

"They never (ask) for anything. They come in to shop," she said, explaining that there is no welfare in Mexico and the hardworking immigrants have no interest in handouts. Their work ethic involves reliability, punctuality and dependability. "That's why they're eagerly welcomed by industry," she said.

Yvette Monroy attempts to build on these strengths, introducing long term planning and goal orientation into her counseling, which is usually informal and most often conducted on a drop-in basis.

"I am trying to be very educationally oriented," she said, promoting vocational training and secondary schooling where appropriate.

As one of four counselors at The Place, Ms. Monroy has responsibilities to a larger pool of clients as well. On Tuesdays and Saturdays, she is the intake staff person who welcomes and directs those who come through the doors of the Rural Social Services outpost on Bettis Tribble Gap Road.

But her primary outreach is to the Hispanic community, and it is here that she is making inroads and breaking new ground.

In two trailer parks not far from The Place, she distributes flyers that detail social services available through her office: medical and legal assistance, food, tax information, job counseling and access to Spanish language driving manuals.

Each Thursday, she assists staff at Georgia Highlands Medical Center and the adjacent health department when an interpreter is needed for Spanish-speaking patients. On Hispanic Day, as Thursdays are now designated, traditional medical services can be more easily accessed by immigrants for whom language is a stumbling block.

On Saturdays, Ms. Monroy translates for an Internal Revenue Service volunteer who comes to The Place during pre-tax season to assist Hispanic workers in meeting tax obligations.

This month, Ms. Monroy will coordinate an English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) class at The Place. The 40-hour course, when completed, fulfills an immigration requirement for many Hispanics and is funded by the State Legalization Impact Assistance Plan, which provides a teacher and educational materials.

One of those helping to spread word of the class is Johnny McBrayer, complex personnel manager at Tyson Foods, Inc. in Cumming, where a large number of Hispanic workers are employed.

"We will be disseminating information to our employees," said McBrayer, helping them "understand that many will not be able to renew work cards" without the classes.

McBrayer, who "can't say enough about our Hispanic workers," is delighted that Yvette Monroy has begun her work.

"It will be a great advantage to us," he said. "We desperately needed somebody here in Forsyth County" to help Hispanic immigrants, whom he praised for their diligence, dependability and lack of absenteeism.

"We want to give them the opportunity to become the best citizens, the best employees they can be. We're pleased that Yvette is here to assist them."

Tyson Foods was one of many local businesses to join Ms. Monroy and representatives from public service agencies and health care facilities for a community meeting at The Place last month. Over a home cooked lunch, Ms. Monroy and her 35 guests discussed cooperative efforts to benefit the area's Hispanic population.

"We got a good insight about what we can do" together to make the environment less hostile to Hispanic newcomers, she said. Tyson foods and others have committed themselves to "do what it takes to promote good relationships."

Sister Cliatt observed that "it (was) incredible to get that many people" -- everyone from the chief of police to Family and Children Services staff -- from so many different sectors. It proved, she said, that "this is a community problem people are aware of and need help with."

Through Hispanic outreach at The Place, she said, "we're trying to bring the political, industrial and business communities together, along with the people who live here," to promote the peaceful integration of the Hispanic population.

"It will take time," said Yvette Monroy. But "they trust what I'm doing and I love that because it means I want to do more."